The article deals with words ‘letter’ and ‘flower’ that implement the motif of memory in N.A. Nekrasov’s and A.A. Akhmatova’s poetry. Images of letter and ‘flower’ have a long tradition in Russian poetry. General aesthetic principle of memory is implemented in poetic language. It is associated with the preservation of world culture experience. There is a convergence of images of ‘thrown letter’ and ‘destroyed flower’ as symbols of oblivion in the individually-shaped system of both authors. The word flower in Akhmatova’s poetry acquires contradictory meaning and appears within the same semantic field of death and other life milestones as in Nekrasov’s poetry. Typical memory signs, such as flower and letter, reveal the inner connection of Nekrasov’s and Akhmatova’s poetry and allow the reader to understand the deeper meaning of their poetic language.